What's New
Our understanding of the global need to act, and the state of renewable energy policy and news are rapidly evolving in Oregon, nationally and internationally. This monthly resource will keep you up-to-date with what's new both in OREP and renwewable energy conversations from around the planet. These articles are further archived under the navigation menus listed in red below.
From local communities to national policy decisions, informed and engaged citizens will advance the transition to locally-owned and locally-generated clean renewable energy. We encourage you to check back regularly.
July 2016
7/31/16
RE News: Energy
Can America's first floating wind farm shake off environmental concerns?; Matt Weiser, The Guardian, Jul 31, 2016
Ukraine Government Reimagines Chernobyl As A Solar Farm; Tyler Lee, Ubergizmo, Jul 29, 2016
China's Coal Peak Hailed as Turning Point; Damian Carrington, The Guardian, Jul 26, 2016
RE News: Storage & Integration
German company plugs into L.A. area for its electricity storage operation; Ivan Penn, Los Angeles Times, Jul 31, 2016
7/30/16
Environment: Society
UN-Habitat launches the World Cities Report 2016, Urbanization and Development: Emerging Futures; UN-Habitat, May 18, 2016
RE News: Energy
Closing Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Will Save Money And Carbon; Amory B. Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute, Jul 11, 2016
RE News: Storage & Integration
GRID: Utilities give a first peek at N.Y.'s distributed energy future; Saqib Rahim and Peter Behr, E&E Publishing, Jul 7, 2016
7/29/16
Policy News: RE Policy Innovation
'Value of solar' gains another foothold in Minnesota; Frank Jossi, Midswest Energy News, Jul 22, 2016
Policy News: Community RE
Maryland Scores 3 out of 4 on Principles for a Good Community Solar Program; John Farrell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Jun 16, 2016
RE News: Energy
Rockefeller Fund Takes First Green Stake in Pivot From Oil; Jessica Shankleman, Bloomberg, Jul 27, 2016
Connecting the dots: PG&E DERMs pilot aims to manage multiple aggregator platforms; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Jul 29, 2016
Mojave Desert at stake in far-reaching federal energy plan; Carolyn Lochhead, San Francisco Chronicle, Jul 26, 2016
In Texas, MP2 Energy Sees the 'Shape' of Rooftop Solar as Value to Substitute for Net Metering; Jeff St. John, greentech:Media, Jul 22, 2016
100% RE Cities: RE100 News
Video: The Calm After the Storm. How Greensburg, Kansas Achieved 100% Renewable Electricity; Climate Reality Project. Jul 14, 2016
7/27/16
Policy Basics: Reports
Integrated Distribution Planning; SolarCity Grid Engineering, Sep 2015
100% RE Cities: RE100 News
Mayor Bowser Signs Renewable Portfolio Standard Bill into Law; Office of the Mayor, Washington D.C., Jul 25, 2016
Policy News: World FiT News
Germany: new renewable law does not spell the end of feed-in tariffs; Jonathan Gifford, PV Magazine, Jul 21, 2016
UGE and SolarShare to build 300 kW Kaladar, Ontario solar project; Terry Dawes, cantech letter, Jul 18, 2016
RE News: Energy
China surges further ahead in solar power production; Lucas Mearian, Computer World, Jul 25, 2016
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
California Weighs Fair Pricing for Distributed, Centralized Energy; John Farrell, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Jul 18, 2016
7/26/16
Environment: Climate
China's coal peak hailed as turning point in climate change battle; Damian Carrington, The Guardian, Jul 25, 2016
100% RE Cities: RE100 News
NextEra merger dead, Hawaii turns to realizing a 100% renewables future; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Jul 25, 2016
Energy company confident of hitting 96% renewables target by 2030; independent.ie, Jul 25, 2016
New Program Will Make D.C. A Leader On Renewable Energy; Smantha Page, Think Progress, Jul 25, 2016
RE News: Energy
Vernon Farm Takes 'Cow Energy' in a Different Diretion; Mike Faher, vtdigger.org, Jul 25, 2016
New York Times Shills For Moribund Nuclear Power, Disses Renewables Revolution; Joe Romm, Climate Progress, Jul 25, 2016
You'll Never Guess Which State Is Building a Renewable Energy Empire; Scott Levine, The Motley Fool, Jul 24, 2016
A Suburban Experiment Aims for Free Energy; Diane Cardwell, The New York Times, Jun 3, 2016
7/22/16
RE News: Energy
How record large-scale solar growth is changing utility IPPs; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Jul 21, 2016
Evolution of REV: New York PSC Chair Audrey Zibelman says 2016 is the year of execution; Krysti Shallenberger, Utility Dive, Jul 15, 2016
Democratizing DERs: What role should utilities play in spreading clean energy to all?; Krysti Shallenberger, Utility Dive, Jul 14, 2016
How the Grid Was Won: Three Scenarios for the Distributed Grid in 2030; Shayle Kann, greenTech:Media, July 13, 2016
RE News: Storage & Integration
Germany Sets a New Solar Storage Record; Jeffrey H. Michel, The Energy Collective, July 18, 2016
7/21/16
RE News: Energy
Atoms for green energy: What role should nuclear power play in decarbonization?; Gavin Bade, Utility Dive, Jul 21, 2016
How aggregated DERs are becoming the new demand response; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Jul 20, 2016
Policy Basics: Reports
The Link Between Good Jobs and a Low Carbon Future: Evidence from California's Renewables Portfoloio Standard, 2002—2015; Betony Jones, Peter Philips, Carol Zabin, Donald Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy/UC Berkeley, Jul 2016
Policy News: RE Policy Innovation
Missouri to be second state with residential PACE later this summer; Karen Uhlenhuth, Midwest Energy News, Jul 18, 2016
Distributed Generation Under Fire (Q1 2016); Karlee Weinmann, Institutue for Local Self-Reliance, Jul 14, 2016
100% RE Cities: RE100 Resources
North America, The New Frontier for 100% Renewable Energy; Michale Small, Renewable Cities, Jun 20, 2016
100% Renewable Energy For Cities – Is It Possible? Our Webinar Report; Sustainable Cities Collective, Jul1, 2016
Policy News: Community RE
Breaking Ground: New Models That Deliver Energy Solutions to Low-Income Customers; Coreina CHan, Kendall Ernst, James Newcomb, Rocky Mountain Institute, Jul 2016
RE News: Wind
Deepwater Wind proposes largest offshore wind farm in US; Peter Maloney, Utility Dive, Jul 18, 2016
7/19/16
Policy News: RE Policy Innovation
FACT SHEET: Obama Administration Announces Clean Energy Savings for All Americans Initiative; White House Office of the Press Secretary, Jul 19, 2016
Curbing the marijuana industry's voracious energy appetite; Gina Warren, United Press International, Jul 18, 2016
RE News: Solar
California ISO generated 8 GW of solar, topping last year's record by 2 GW; Robert Walton, Utility Dive, Jul 18, 2016
RE News: Energy
Critique of wind and solar cannot withstand light of day; Craig Morris, Renewables International, Jun 22, 2016
7/18/16
100% RE CIties: RE100 News
Making the Clean Power Plan Work With City Energy Goals; Ashley Lawson, Center for Climate & Energy Solutions, Jun 24, 2016
Cutting the cable: Kangaroo Island eyes switch to 100% renewable energy; Giles Parkinson, The Guardian, Jul 11, 2016
Policy News: US FiT News
RIP FITs: As US feed-in tariffs fade, adopting elements could spur solar growth; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, Jul 18, 2016
FIT Pays: Rooftop Solar Progam Delivers Dividends for Business Owners; Los Angeles Business Council Institute, Apr 29, 2016
Policy News: World FiT News
Feed-in tariffs help renewable energy grow; David Suzuki, The Georgia Straight, Jun 14th, 2016
Policy News: Community RE
The Power of Community: How community-owned renewable energy can help Ontario create a powerful economic advantage; Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative Inc., Jun 2016
Executive Summary; Full Report
Introducing: Community Solar Is Coming To Oregon!; Sarah Ryan-Knox, Citizens Utility Board fo Oregon, Jun 28, 2016
7/13/16
Policy News: Utility Adaptation
Location Matters: California Regulators Investigate More Granular Solar Benefits; Brad Heavner, Solar Industry, Jul 12, 2016
Utility clean energy rankings reveal 'unprecedented shift' in power sector paradigms; Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive, July 13, 2016
6/29/16
RE News: Storage & Integration
Energy Storage Procurement Guidance Documents for Municipalities; Clean Energy Group/Clean Energy States Alliance, Jun 27, 2016
Policy News: Community RE
Local Utilities Have Lost Local Control; Abigail Feola, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Jun 23, 2016
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OREP's Vision: Oregon communities powered by clean, renewable energy.